CH3 Flashcards
Perception
a sense-making procedure in which we attempt to understand our environment so we can respond to it appropriately
selection
the process of choosing which sensory information to focus on
organization
the process by which one recognizes what sensory input represents
interpretation
the act of assigning meaning to sensory information
selective attention
consciously or unconsciously attending to just a narrow range of the full array of sensory information available
primacy effect
the tendency to form a judgment or opinion based on the first information received
recency effect
the tendency to form a judgment or opinion on the most recent information received
cognitive representation
the ability to form mental models of the world
schemas
cognitive structures that help us organize information
prototype
a representative or idealized version of a concept
script
a relatively fixed sequence of events that functions as a guide or template for communication or behavior
categorization
a cognitive process used to organize information by placing it into larger groupings of information
label
a name assigned to a category based on one’s perception of the category
stereotyping
creating schemas that overgeneralize attributes of a specific group
frame
assumptions and attitudes that we use to filter perceptions to create meaning
attribution theory
explanation of the processes we use to judge our own and others’ behavior
attributional bias
a cognitive bias that refers to the systematic errors made when people evaluate or try to find reasons for their own and others’ behaviors
self-serving bias
the tendency to give one’s self more credit than is due when good things happen and to accept too little responsibility for those things that go wrong
fundamental attribution error
the tendency to attribute others’ negative behavior to internal causes and their positive behaviors to external causes
overattribution
selecting an individual’s most obvious characteristic and using it to explain almost anything that person does
cognitive complexity
the degree to which a person’s constructs are detailed, involved, or numerous
constructs
categories people develop to help them organize information
ethnocentrism
the tendency to view one’s own group as the standard against which all other groups are judged
prejudice
experiencing aversive or negative feelings toward a group as a whole or toward an individual because she or he belongs to a group
ego-defensive function
the role prejudice plays in protecting individuals’ sense of self-worth
value-expressive function
the role played by prejudice in allowing people to view their own values, norms, and cultural practices as appropriate and correct
cohort effect
the process by which historical events influence the perceptions of people who grew up in a given generation and time period
social role
the specific position or positions one holds in a society
